


Twenty five letters and a thousand embraces missed

by IvvyQueen



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: American Civil War, Angst and Romance, Childhood Friends, Epistolary, F/M, Letters, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 01:01:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 6,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28680045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IvvyQueen/pseuds/IvvyQueen
Summary: From 1861 until 1865, long-life friends Leon and Claire exchange letters throughout the war, as he left to serve duty, and she stays to continue with her life.
Relationships: Leon S. Kennedy/Claire Redfield
Comments: 5
Kudos: 27





	1. August 15th, 1861

_ ‘‘Dear Claire, _

_ I finally arrived where I was supposed to. The ride was rocky, at best, not much I can say with certainty yet, no one has figured out about this, I know well my father would personally come and scold me if he found out. _

_ The uniform fits me well, the place where I am is, well, comfortable considering everything. I’ve barely met anyone and barely anyone bothers to know me, so that’s a good thing. Having gone in hunts with my uncle has certainly helped, some of these guys can’t even hold their weapons. They still seem excited, though, I’m not so sure about myself, but you know I couldn’t stay home if there was some way for me to help. _

_ Either way, I hope you’re alright, and I’m sorry I left so abruptly and without telling you anything but the day before. I know this letter will reach you privately and so, I don’t worry. _

_ I promise to write every time, without fail, if you promise to write back as well. Even right now, I know you’re the one I’ll miss the most. _

_ Your dear friend,  _

_ Leon.’’ _


	2. Chapter 2

_ ‘‘Dear Leon, _

_ You absolute idiot. Could’ve written sooner, don’t you think? I’ve been worried sick, but… It calms my heart to hear that you’re safe and sound. _

_ I know well you’re fighting your hardest as of now, you always have. The letters take some time to deliver, but wherever you are, they’ll come. I promise to always write back to you, no matter what happens. This town, these hills, feel so much smaller without you. I’m only thankful we’re so secluded from every conflict to not be noticed. _

_ I want to see you again, alive and well. Make sure to update me as often as you can. _

_ Your dear friend,  _

_ Claire.’’ _


	3. Chapter 3

_‘‘Dear Claire,_

_You always sound so dramatic, even in a letter! Must be a secret skill, or all those old romance novels you read that I know you adore. Talking about that, I hope the library has some new selection of those for you._

_Things have gotten complicated, they don’t seem to want to give up any time soon, even though luck and the score isn’t in their favor. I wish I could understand why, the spark I saw on the first few days has disappeared from most people’ eyes. I imagine it must be the same on the other side, since I saw a kid your age sneaking to our lines, through the railroads, only to join us._

_He looked malnourished and was dirty from head to toes. I don’t even understand how he made it here. I hope he’s alright now._

_I know you might be a little scared for me, and your brother. I haven’t encountered him, thankfully, otherwise I’d not be writing but speaking to you, and hanging by my legs. I heard from good source he’s alright, and caring for his men like they're his second family. You know how he is._

_I hope this letter finds you well, your dear friend,_

_Leon.’’_


	4. Chapter 4

_ ‘‘Dear Leon, _

_ Thank you for updating me on Chris. I haven’t heard from him in a while, so it’s nice to know he’s okay, wherever he is. If you hear more from him, let me know, please? _

_ I’ve been helping around the town a lot, and yes, I’ve been reading just as much. It’s one of the few things I can do around here either way. _

_ On the bright side, a well-off family moved here not long ago. It’s just the mother and her daughter. They’re the Birkins, and from what I’ve talked with the neighbors, the dad is a doctor and working for the Union, too! I just hope you never get in enough trouble to have him tend to you. _

_ The days pass by quickly, and I’ll still count them until we meet again.  _

_ Your dear friend, _

_ Claire.’’ _


	5. Chapter 5

_ ‘‘Dear Claire, _

_ I’m glad to hear a new family moved in and you have things to do! I know fall should start soon, over here there aren’t that many trees, or green really. It feels bleak and cold, or scorching hot, however the day wants to behave. _

_ There’s some days where we’re lucky, and I can gaze at the neverending wheat fields. I know there were days where maybe the people walked through them and enjoyed themselves, I’d rather think of those, than what we use them for. _

_ We’re moving tomorrow, before the sunrise, my commander told us so. _

_ I’m telling you this first and foremost because I’m not sure when we’ll arrive at the next station, so hold off until you get a new letter from me, after this one. I don’t know how long it’ll take, it’s a couple of days but things can always get out of hands in the blink of an eye, out here on the battlefield. _

_ I will write back, I promise. Our letters are the only things that often keeps me going, one of the few things that I look forward to, apart from the chance to taste some good steak with you and your family again. _

_ Your dear friend, _

_ Leon.’’ _


	6. Chapter 6

_‘‘Dear Claire,_

_Finally, I have time to write back again. You won’t believe the amount of things I’ve gone through._

_We were sent to bring support to another brigade, but as I said in my last letter, things can get out of hand and… they really did._

_I don’t want to aggravate you with the most horrid details, you don’t need to hear any of that, you don’t deserve to. Many of my comrades are hurt as of now, but we made it safely out of the trenches. I’m alright, a bit scratched up, but nothing that will leave scars, or a story to tell._

_I was lucky, extremely lucky._

_Right now, as I write this, we rest in the dark. I can’t see well, but the stars look really beautiful tonight. I wish the others weren’t under those tents, so they could see them too, but this peace and solitude is comforting right now. I can’t sleep, and it’s been forever since I’ve gotten a chance to sit down like this._

_I’m growing tired, but I cannot give or let up any time soon, not if I want to make it out alive._

_Not if I want to make it back to you, especially._

_I hope you look at the stars the same as I will, Claire._

_Your dear friend,_

_Leon.’’_


	7. Chapter 7

_ ‘‘Dear Leon, _

_ To say that reading your letter again makes me happy is little. I’m relieved, overjoyed, just in case this letter reaches you with tear stains, don’t think it’s cause I miss you! _

_ For the time being, I want to let you know my brother has come home, at least for a few days more. He was promoted to Captain, and was sent to assist another unit and made a stop here before he heads back to his new position in Maryland. So you won’t have to worry about him catching you any time soon. _

_ As for other news, I’ve begun teaching the Birkins’ daughter, Sherry, and two more kids in our town, though Sherry’s lessons are private so it’s not like they all spend much time together. What a shame, Sherry could definitely use to have friends around her age, since there aren’t that many kids around here to begin with. Most of us just grew up, and went somewhere else. _

_ You’d be impressed with how sweet that little girl is, and how smart too! She learns with such speed I’m sure I’ll run out of subjects soon, and she loves everything science related. I’m relieved she’s a great student, or else I’d pull my hair out. _

_ I shouldn’t tell you this, or anybody, but if you remember Jillian, Chris’ childhood friend? Well, she is back in town for a visit! And guess what, she is secretly engaged! She has yet to tell me everything, but he’s a foreign man, I heard, Carlos, I believe? He seems to sound pretty well in every sense of the word, though I always bet that she’d marry Chris. Guess I was wrong about that and who knows what else. _

_ Life is passing by so quickly, and it feels so weird without you here to listen to all of this. _

_ Your dear friend, _

_ Claire.’’ _


	8. Chapter 8

_ ‘‘Dear Claire, _

_ I’m happy to hear from Jill again, though indirectly. I’d heard rumors she had gone off to fight under a fake identity before I left. Perhaps that’s how they met, and wouldn’t that be bittersweet? _

_ Funny enough, I’ve befriended somebody too, an older gentleman by the name of Marvin. We’re both just soldiers, his rank is not higher than mine, and most of all, he’s married. Many others don’t respect him and it’s not hard to tell why on the surface, but only he has bothered to greet me with a smile or a pat on the shoulder. Some people just refuse to see even that from him. _

_ It’s been over a year. I find myself missing you more than ever, more than the week after I was stationed. I wish I could tell you when I’d be back, but I can’t see an end to this war nearby. Even with all the victories. _

_ Your dear friend, _

_ Leon.’’ _


	9. Chapter 9

_ ‘‘Dear Leon, _

_ Like every day, things seem abnormally normal. Nothing seems affected or changed around here. As if you hadn’t left, as if everything was perfect but, I know it’s not, it’s far from being perfect. You’re there, and I’m here, and we’re so far, and you’re in too much danger.  _

_ Not much has happened, but Chris is back for a few days again. He’s travelling to another state and since he had to go through here, he’s staying for a short time here. _

_ I wish I could be happy, but my brother looks so different.  _

_ Our youth is slipping by, his as well, he’s grown so much, his shoulders are stiff when he hugs me and when he sits down. I only see him pondering on tactics or strategies, or not at all. I wish you could be here soon, but this all drags out longer every time, I don’t know how much more my brother or I can endure this. _

_ I’m sorry if this letter is odd, or if my writing is all over the place. It’s past midnight, and I couldn’t write this any other time without Chris noticing. _

_ Your dear friend, _

_ Claire.’’ _


	10. Chapter 10

_ ‘‘Dear Claire, _

_ Your brother isn’t the only one like that.  _

_ The other men here, and the nurses when they think no one’s looking at them, I hear them cry for home, for their wives, for their kids; they carry pictures in their pockets, and I’ve seen some with blood on them, left behind on the corpses. I’ve seen the nurses break down, except for the youngest of them all, and I don’t know how she does it, how she keeps that spark in her eyes, but everyone here loves her, and I’m sure if it weren’t for her, half our men would’ve died by now. _

_ I wish I had one of you; of us. A picture. To have your face fresh in my memory; despite how often you teased me for having a perfect memory, a year without seeing you makes it all so blurry, or maybe it’s the war that makes it this way. _

_ I hope you can update me on that little town we call home on your next letter. I don’t want it to feel distant anymore.  _

_ Your dear friend, _

_ Leon.’’ _


	11. Chapter 11

_ ‘‘Dear Leon, _

_ It seems time doesn’t flow here; I grow, the seasons change and it all stays the same. Or, almost. This place really could use that bit of you again, your spark and that annoying, bright smile of yours. _

_ Remember Sherry? I feel she’s grown beyond my knowledge so now we learn together, we read from her father’s advanced books in their library, together. She teaches me more than I teach her, and honestly, it’s a blessing in disguise. There’s so much a kid notices an adult doesn’t, and Sherry’s so sharp, I have no doubt you’d love her. I can’t wait for you to meet her sometime in the near future. _

_ The other kids grow up so fast, they talk about what they want to do, all the things they want to see together. It reminds me of us so long ago, but it feels like yesterday. When they laugh and roll down the hills together, when I take them out for field days, and somehow, none have stumbled upon our special place. Not like I’d guide them so far from the school grounds, either. _

_ On the back, there’s a picture of us, taped. I hope it’s enough. So you don’t feel left out in front of the others, with their wives and their kids. _

_ Your dear friend, _

_ Claire.’’ _


	12. Chapter 12

_ ‘‘Dear Claire, _

_ I would update you on what’s happened the last few weeks, but I’d rather talk about something nicer. More victories, more pain, same old. _

_ I didn’t think I’d see your face again even in pictures. I remember that day; you’d scratched your knees pretty bad, and I thought you’d never stop crying, but as soon as I came back to try and patch you up, there you were, smiling like the sun would never rise. I could never forget how it reflected on your tear-stained cheeks or your pink nose, but looking back on it, I know moments like that are worth fighting for, and worth repeating with you. _

_ Seeing your smile brought me back my strengths, and I can’t wait for the day I have it in front of me once more. _

_ Your dear friend, _

_ Leon.’’ _


	13. Chapter 13

_ ‘‘Dear Leon, _

_ I would’ve sent you more, but there’s so few pictures of us together. That we should mend. I hope that now, you won’t feel so alone, as you’ll always have me by your side. _

_ I have some positive news. The day before I wrote this, I snuck off to Jill’s wedding with her fiancé! Being the only one in the house and being of age has its perks, I must admit. No one suspected where I was going! _

_ The ceremony was beautiful, so sweet and yet, even though it was a few hours, it felt so short. It was held in the forest not far from our home. I don’t know if it was planned or not, but petals fell when Jill and her husband kissed, I thought I was dreaming for a whole minute! _

_ There weren’t that many people at the wedding; really, it was just me and another person, an older gentleman from other lands. His name was Nikolai and he was Carlos’ best man, just as I was Jill’s maid of honor! It was quite the surprise, honestly, but I hadn’t done much or… anything at all in so long. Not even the city is accessible, it’s too dangerous to travel there alone.  _

_ They looked so blissful together. I can’t help but wonder if one day I will have that, too. _

_ Your dear friend, _

_ Claire.’’ _


	14. Chapter 14

_ ‘‘Dear Leon, _

_ I hope this letter reaches you well, wherever you are. _

_ I don’t have much to update you, except that Jill and Carlos came back from their honeymoon. They returned only to take all of her belongings to their new house.  _

_ She invited me to go over there whenever I wanted, and I let her know that whenever she came by, to visit me as well. _

_ They didn’t sell her old house, I wonder why. But the new one? She said it’s near the coast, and when I have the chance, I’ll go and pay our newly-weds a visit. I don’t remember ever visiting the beach. I’d love to. _

_ Please write to me whenever possible. I’d be relieved to hear from you again. _

_ Your dear friend, _

_ Claire.’’ _


	15. Chapter 15

_ ‘‘Dear Leon, _

_ I hope you’re okay. I haven’t heard from you in a while, a really long time actually.  _

_ I write this time not from my home, but from Jill’s.  _

_ It’s a beautiful, gorgeous house of two floors. Some would say that with their lives, it should have more decorations, but this is their little piece of paradise. The seawinds smack my cheeks and the air is so salty, so comforting, and the feeling of warm sand on my bare feet, when it’s dusk and the sun is setting down? It’s pure bliss. _

_ It’s their getaway, their haven, and if I’m honest with myself? _

_ I envy them. _

_ I just, I really wish I could have what they have. I wish you could be here, that we could’ve visited our friend together. _

_ I didn’t think I could miss you any more than I already did. _

_ Your dear friend,  _

_ Claire.’’ _


	16. Chapter 16

_ ‘‘Leon, _

_ I don’t know where you are. It’s been a year already. Where are you? Are you alive anymore? _

_ I don’t know how much longer I can hold out hope. Are these letters reaching you? Or is this also a futile attempt? _

_ I want to know you’re okay. I want to hear from you again. Anything, just to know you’re alive, that you’re out there, that you can still come back.  _

_ I miss you. _

_ Claire.’’ _


	17. Chapter 17

_ ‘‘Hello, Claire, _

_ I know I owe you an explanation.  _

_ Unfortunately, I actually have one. Sit down somewhere, this is a long one. _

_ Shortly after your letter about Jill’s wedding arrived, a couple of us were sent to aid in the trenches. I was amongst those selected.  _

_ We thought we’d be lucky, if we pulled through, it’d be a huge victory in our favor. _

_ We did, but at a cost that was too great for many of us to bear.  _

_ In the fight, I got wounded. I got shot on my shoulder, and it was a miracle my arm wasn’t shot off with it, or that it didn’t hit my heart. My only friend, the one I spoke to you about in earlier letters, Marvin, didn’t make it. _

_ When I regained consciousness, and I learned about what happened, how he’d risked his life to save mine, and he got shot, I wanted to walk out on the battlefield and let the other side end it. I pleaded to step on a mine, even as we kept moving from one location to another like herded sheep, so that maybe I could finally be free. _

_ Then, they found your last few letters to me. Sorting out through the deceased’s belongings and separating them from the living, they finally delivered them. _

_ I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t cry all night long. I wept until my eyes burned and ached and my throat was sore. _

_ I won’t be discharged from my duties, I’m still in fighting conditions, so I had to heal fast and go back to the fight. I was left with nothing but a desire to get away from here, and a scar on my body.  _

_ During my recovery and before I returned, I asked to be the one to deliver the news to Marvin’s wife-- now widow, Minerva.  _

_ I figured it was only just; he’d given his life for mine, and I couldn’t carry a bigger guilt with me than not being man enough to face that woman. At the very least, I had to look into the eyes of the love of his life and tell her. _

_ I don’t know what I expected, but certainly it wasn’t for her to be so kind, so gentle. I thought she’d yell, that she’d hit my chest and weep. _

_ She said that she knew. That she wasn’t one hundred percent sure, but deep inside, she’d felt it. That she was glad his sacrifice had not gone to waste, and that she could see who it’d been for. _

_ I wasn’t sure what to make out of it all, or what I thought afterwards. All I remember is a promise to remain in contact with her, and sitting under a nearby tree to cry. _

_ I recovered enough to write. Your letters filled me with hope, not that I could do the honorable thing and continue fighting, but that I could make it back, and I had to. I owe it not just to you, but to Marvin and the other soldiers. _

_ When we meet again, you can slap me in the face, as much as you want. For now, I just wish to hear from you again, and that you can forgive me for the pain and uncertainty I caused you. My letters may be more scarce, but I won’t fail to respond again. _

_ Your dear friend, _

_ Leon.’’ _


	18. Chapter 18

_ ‘‘Dear Leon, _

_ I don’t know how to begin this letter, or what to feel. When I saw your letter on my mail, when I read it, I could do little but cry and cry as well. I was overjoyed, I was relieved, I swore I was going to have a heart attack. So many emotions I can’t describe or explain. _

_ Right now, as I write this down, I wish I could slap you on the head over and over for making me so, so worried. I’d strangle you, or hug you really tight and close, I don’t know anymore, my fingers tremble, and I force myself to swallow back sobs. But I couldn’t be more thankful to know that you’re still there, that you’re reading this. _

_ The only update worth mentioning is that I’ve begun teaching at our local school. It’s not a huge pay, but counting both that and being Sherry’s governess, the money I make enough to not rely entirely on Chris and not linger on this big house all alone. This way it feels like I’m doing something important, and with knowledge I can share with the kids. _

_ I don’t know whether it’s a good thing or not, but I just saw the first sign of winter; a snowflake, right outside my window. I hope this upcoming winter treats you well. _

_ Your dear friend,  _

_ Claire.’’ _


	19. Chapter 19

_ ‘‘Dear Claire, _

_ You’ll have plenty of time to strangle me later, don’t worry.  _

_ I’m happy to hear that you’re doing something you enjoy and you want. I don’t doubt for a moment that you could lead those little minds through a part of their lives’ paths. _

_ I don’t have a ton to say on my side, at least, not yet. _

_ I hear the whispers of the soldiers, news from other states. The confederates are weaker, tired; every week that passes we push forward a little more. At the risk of spoiling, I believe there may actually be an end in sight. About time, don’t you think? _

_ The winter’s here as well. It’s odd, to see only black and white. A few years ago I’d expect nothing but dead trees and snow; it’s almost all mud and wet snow over here, and yet, I saw a snowflake yesterday. _

_ I know they say not two snowflakes are the same, but I think that maybe yours and mine are closer than we may think, and who knows? Maybe it’s also a very good thing. Only time will tell. _

_ Your dear friend, _

_ Leon.’’ _


	20. Chapter 20

_‘‘Dear Leon,_

_It seems like good news are back, with your return and now it gets better; I found out not long ago Jill and Carlos are expecting. They came back to stay here for the last five months of her pregnancy, in her childhood’s home. Carlos thought it was safer and better rather than risking a birth in near absolute isolation._

_I for one am relieved, I thought I’d never have a nephew or niece in this life! Now I just need to hurry my brother on his part!_

_Not only that, but this one is more of a secret, but I believe Sherry wants to pursue the medicine field just like her father. Her mother doesn’t seem to have anything against it, but I’m not sure whether her dad knows or not, though I’m focused only on helping her make her dreams a reality._

_I hope you’re safe and well, wherever you read this._

_Your dear friend,_

_Claire.’’_


	21. Chapter 21

_ ‘‘Dear Claire, _

_ It’s so good to hear that life goes on. Makes being here a little worth something.  _

_ If I’m not wrong, the baby should be born in April, right? If all goes well, I hope to meet the little sunshine soon.  _

_ I found a very pretty brooch, when crossing through a city, a couple days ago. I fear I may have lost some of my sensibility these past years, but the stone reminded me of your eyes so much, I knew I had to get it to you. Consider it a gift for all those Christmas I missed. _

_ Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, _

_ Leon.’’ _


	22. Chapter 22

_ ‘‘Dear Leon, _

_ I wish I had something to give you back, but by the time this reaches you, it’ll be well past the festivities. The brooch is beautiful! I love it, I adore it so, so much. I have no idea how you had the luck to find something this gorgeous, but I can’t thank you enough for this gift. _

_ I’m spending the holidays with Jill and Carlos, but I’m thinking of you tonight when I look at the North star. _

_ I hope you had a calm Christmas, and not out there, fighting. _

_ Your dear friend, _

_ Claire.’’ _


	23. Chapter 23

_ ‘‘Dear Claire, _

_ We were tasked with surveillance and defense of the frontlines during Christmas. It was a couple of awful, sleepless nights. There were no crickets, no sounds in the distance, nothing. Only our heavy breaths and a ton of soldiers on edge. _

_ There’s little to do around here, maybe that’s for the best, but this quiet and silence is unnerving. There’s something different in the air, and I don’t know what it is, but I don’t feel worried or scared. At least, we had a huge victory in Virginia not too long ago, and they’ve started to surrender, one by one, but we can’t let our guard down yet. _

_ I’ll think of you tonight, and not on the deafening silence. _

_ Your dear friend,  _

_ Leon.’’ _


	24. Chapter 24

_ ‘‘Dear Leon, _

_ It’s been a rough couple of months. Jill’s state is delicate, so I’m staying with her until the baby is here. _

_ I’ve slept so little, I’m exhausted and my head’s pounding. I can only thank that spring is quiet, but I’ve lost count of how many nights I’ve gone through wide awake. Jill hasn’t had it any better, so I try to be there with her as often as possible. Carlos has been busy, day and night, preparing everything for the baby. I don’t think any of us has had decent sleep in eons, and the baby’s not even here yet! _

_ It’s due any day, but I’m sure I’ll be back home when May begins. I hope so. _

_ Your dear friend, _

_ Claire.’’ _


	25. Chapter 25

_ ‘‘Dear Claire, _

_ By the time this letter reaches you, I shall be on my way there.  _

_ You know well the war is over, as do I. Years have passed since I last saw you, at your gorgeous seventeen; we have written many letters and now that you are twenty, I can only say and hope that my return is more than enough as gift for all those missed springs where we couldn’t walk by our childhood’s pond, or have you wake me up and drag me out of my home to watch the sunrise behind your house. _

_ Sorry if this is shocking, or a surprise. I was hoping to surprise you home, but I want to be absolutely sure you’re the first face I’ll see. _

_ It is now my biggest desire to see you again, and frankly, with every minute that passes, I only grow more excited.  _

_ May 15, when the sun is setting. _

_ I shall wait for you at the railroad station.  _

_ Your dearest- and hopefully still best friend, _

_ Leon.’’ _


	26. May 15th, 1865

The wind pushed back her low ponytail, her fingers fidgeted with the pristine white cotton of her sleeves, and the unlikely cold afternoon caressed her face. 

She peeked outside, to the brick wall that surrounded the civilian railroad, examining the faces of people passing by, jumping on their carriages and driving off to their cozy homes.

‘‘I don’t think I’m ready, I can’t, I simply-’’

‘‘Oh shush, Claire!’’ Sherry snapped, her hands flailing and catching her by surprise with the rise of her voice. ‘‘You are _not_ saying that, I am not letting you. This is the only thing I’ve seen you desire ever since I’ve known you. I’m not allowing you to stay inside my carriage when he could be out there, waiting for you.’’

‘‘Since when did you get so smart, or talk back?’’ Claire asked in a sigh, brushing back the strands that fell over her face.

‘‘Always been, always have, you just never had to deal with it personally.’’

Claire flashed the young girl a smile, took her face in between her hands and left a peck on her forehead, avoiding the short locks of winter-blonde hair that framed her face of spring.

‘‘Now go! The carriage will be here when you get back.’’

Claire nodded, and stepped out. 

The soil before the railroad station blossomed with tiny dandelions. Her long crimson plaid skirt flowing some three inches above the ground, her face matching in color, and far more in temperature. The restless knocking inside her chest echoed as loud as the parting trains’ whistle. Her cotton blouse stretched, her belt and boots fastened, her brooch reflected the sky and viceversa, and her pulse beat against her bones like drums.

Her legs froze not five steps past the entrance, and she rushed to the side. 

She rested against the wall, her gloved hands tugging with the sleeves of her jacket to match them back with her blouse’s.

_You need to calm down, Redfield! … Oh God I feel like I’m going to throw up. It’s been so long, I’m not ready, I’m not-_

‘‘Red…?’’

A whisper to every other passerby, the nickname rang clean and true in her center.

Her skirt twisted and flowed in a small circle when she turned on her heels. Her corset ten times tighter, her lungs twice as small, and her heart three times as big.

‘‘Leon…?’’

There was not a doubt in her mind that it was him, another five steps away, in a dark blue uniform with pale yellow buttons and his hat on his hand, held by trembling fingers. His hair parted in line with his left eye, his features had sharpened, his jaw and his cheeks mostly, his smile not quite the same; no youthful innocence, but overflowing with a glow that she’d never seen from him before. His eyes reflected the soul of a young boy no more, but a man’s with a confident, precise walk and the eternal gentleness she’d known from a lifetime.

He approached first, cutting the distance between them in more than half. ‘‘Were you expecting somebody else?’’ He jested, drawing his lips back ever so slightly as his chest came down.

With that, she knew.

‘‘Not in a million years.’’

Her arms wrapped around his neck, his slithered under her arms, pulling her body dear against his. He let his hands wander to the center of her back, that her warmth crossed over to him and battled the one thousand nights separated by cruel fate and youthful choices.

‘‘You must be tired, a-and God knows how many hours you’ve been in that train-’’

‘‘Hey.’’

‘‘You’ve been travelling for days, haven’t you? Where’s your stuff? I remember all that I helped with, you had a bag with you, the carriage is waiting and-’’

‘‘Claire?’’

Her name uttered by him again swept her mind clean of any coherent thoughts, and she answered with a meek. ‘‘Yes?’’

‘‘First, my bag is right here,’’ he said, and pulled the strap around and under his arm, ‘‘second, I’m pretty certain we’re being stared at.’’

She peered over her shoulder, meeting the eyes of five or more who eyed his arms on her hips, the inexistent distance between them as smirks were hidden behind fake coughs, thick moustaches and intricate fans.

Her face as red as her hair, though richer in shades and brighter in hue, Claire pulled Leon by his sleeve, outside the station and towards the open carriage. His chuckle under his breath followed them all the way, and tinted her ears pink.

In what was an eternity and one day, Leon let the familiar winds caress him. His eyes closed, inhaling not smoke, gunpowder or the copper of blood and bullets, but fresh air, with a touch of dew and petrichor dwindled longer, the rain nearly dry from an earlier storm, before either of them arrived.

‘‘I know I left on my own accord, but is it weird this feels almost… ripped away from me?’’

‘‘Not really, but if it’s any help, everything’s nearly the same as you remember, I’d say. Even your home.’’

‘‘You took care of it, too?’’ Leon shook his head, laughing. ‘‘Claire, you know you didn’t have to.’’

‘‘You think I’d have let your uncle’s house rot away? I didn’t go to clean it every day, I just passed by every so often to make sure everything was okay.’’ 

Quick to brush it off, Leon leaned forward, elbows rested on his legs. ‘‘How’s everybody? Your brother, Sherry, and Jill! Did she…?’’

‘‘Yes, she did. A beautiful girl, healthy and happy like you’ve never seen. Despite what we believed at first, the delivery went smoothly and now they’re both perfectly fine.’’ Claire began, her eyes never drifting away from his stare. ‘‘Chris says he’ll be back in a week’s time, he got promoted to Colonel a couple months ago and he’s been busier than ever since we won, and Sherry is, well she’s studying as hard as ever, I’m no longer her governess, but we remain close friends.’’

Leon rested his head on his palm, and let the sound of Claire’s voice lull him the rest of the ride. Not a particularly long one, as soon the silhouettes of decades-old houses and scattering street lamps illuminated the gravel and stones.

His breath left his mouth, nearly standing off with the carriage still in motion, were it not for Claire seizing his jacket and holding him in place, both in a position of neither sitting nor standing completely, glancing over the town they called home.

Her fingers travelled down, brushing her black gloves against the white fabric of his. 

‘‘Told you, it’s just how you remember.’’

‘‘No… It’s better.’’

When he didn’t look, Claire let a smile creep up. Wide, bright like the sun, bouncing her feet and on her seat. 

They led each other off the carriage, right in front of Leon’s home, watching the gentleman rode back to the Birkin’s house.

Leon’s fingers hovered over the mahogany doors, pushing them open with little force, silver moonlight peeking through before his sky-blue eyes could, shedding onto the wooden floors, glistening on the antique decorations and the scarce furniture.

‘‘I missed this,’’ he said, pausing his feet, ‘‘but this is not the place where I want to be right now.’’

‘‘Huh?’’

Leon dropped his bag to his left, hung his hat on the hanger and from a pocket, pulled out the picture to rest it on a tableside. ‘‘There’s somewhere I want to see more. I can come here another moment,’’ he closed the doors and urged Claire outside, ‘‘come with me, please?’’

‘‘Where?’’ She asked, her eyes tracing to the hills hidden behind a row of green, dark bushes and spiky branches rising in and out of the ground, covered in the mantle of the jewelled sky.

‘‘I think you know.’’

Their laughter echoed down the street, like four years had never gone by, time itself had frozen in that moment, blinked and hurried until its recreation on that very night.

Winning by a mile, Leon arrived to the top of those twin hills before Claire, who pressed her hand against her chest and tried to conceal her agitated breathing and soft panting, glaring daggers all over Leon’s body.

‘‘No fair!’’

‘‘You’re right, I should’ve gone easier on ya’. Can’t top years of military service in one night, can you?’’

Claire elbowed his arm, crossing her arms and her chin tilted high and proud. ‘‘I could’ve gone with you, you know?’’

‘‘Oh yeah, if you could avoid your brother from skinning you alive.’’ He jested, stretching and undoing the buttons of his uniform. ‘‘I couldn’t have gone through the things you did, that’s why you were always better.’’

Her prideful smirk softened, her eyebrows furrowed and her voice dropping to a tender hush. ‘‘Leon…’’

‘‘I don’t regret the choice I made, but, if there had been a way to save you all the pain and trouble and worry, I’d take it in a heartbeat.’’

Claire wrapped her arms around his, biting on her bottom lip. The edges of her eyes burned with tears, threatening to spill after years and years of holding them back.

‘‘And the worst of it all is that everything you ever brought me was happiness. Just, thinking of you, picturing you besides me again, even the chance of seeing you smile; it kept me going, every single day. Whether I was stuck under the heat of the sun or shivering due to the torrential rain, with mud all over me?’’

Leon listened to his words vanish in the air, turning towards Claire and pulling her by the waist.

Her breath hitched, dancing on her throat, her stare moving between his eyes and his mouth.

‘‘All you ever were, was my light.’’

When his lips left a ghost on her forehead, and his arms snaked around her, the rain poured down her cheeks.

The drops were warm, dove-like. None fell on her hands, but over Leon’s as they rolled down his thumb and between his fingers, and it was then she understood they were bottled-up tears, by the dozens, by the hundreds.

‘‘I thought I’d lost you forever, that I’d never see you again. I thought you’d been killed.’’ She muttered against his chest, staining his uniform with her quiet sobs. ‘‘You have, no idea, how much I missed you, Kennedy.’’

‘‘I can only imagine it’s nearly as much as I missed you.’’ He said, kissing her tears away. ‘‘Thank you for not waiting for me to build your life. Nothing makes me as happy as knowing you could keep going, and living. It’s what you always deserved.’’

Claire wiped away her own tears, shaking her head. ‘‘I haven’t done everything I wanted. I still want to go to the big cities, and learn about the railroads and the trains, how they work, and I want to know even more.’’

‘‘Now that the war’s over, you can and you will. You never needed anybody to do anything, and I sure hope you didn’t wait for me to go there.’’

‘‘Oh please, I couldn’t wait for you forever on everything, could I?’’

‘‘Then _what_ did you wait for me for?’’

Caught in her own trap, Claire looked around for a quick escape. At first glance, the fields beyond the hills, with their blankets of flowers and sapphire cover the night provided, tempted her.

His embrace, his tongue-in-cheek smile, his hair, her hands travelled up to caress, brushing over the scar on his chest until she was brushing back his hair, exploring with her bare fingers-- her gloves taken off behind his head --every inch of his demeanor.

‘‘I think, that you already know.’’

‘‘You want to hear it first, don’t you?’’

‘‘I waited a damn long time for it.’’ 

With unladylike language but fit for the occasion, Claire smiled, and unable to hold in his laughter, Leon lifted her gloveless hand to his lips.

‘‘I,’’ he began, and kissed her right hand’s knuckles, ‘‘love,’’ he continued, removing the other glove from her left hand, leaving a peck on her wrist.

The end of his sentence lingered, the color rose to her cheeks, and their breaths mingled in their hesitancy. Wrapped in the silence, and the night’s cold embrace, Leon closed the distance at last, his lips gliding over hers and her forehead relaxed; their lungs stole each other’s air, her cheeks tainted his with their rich red and the remnants of her tears and her fingers ran through his hair, holding on to each other like tomorrow would never come.

Their noses pushed each other, and their eyes remained fully closed, but their foreheads touched, and the sterling celestial blessed down on both.

‘‘I love you too.’’

**Author's Note:**

> **None of the characters here belong to me, but to Capcom and their respective owners. This is a work of fiction, done by a fan and for fans.**


End file.
